Eating fast food on a diet is a high risk strategy that can wreck your good intentions if you don’t choose wisely…so be careful!
If you’re desperate for a fast food fix, make a few smart choices and you can enjoy the occasional burger without blowing your day’s calories in one meal.
It doesn’t matter whether your favourite fast food chain is McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway or KFC, there will be something on the menu that you can enjoy relatively guilt-free!
Fast Food on a Diet – Some Tips to Reduce the Calories
There are a few simple ways to slash the fat content and calories of your fast food meal.
Employ them regardless of the fast food restaurant you’re eating in and you won’t go far wrong when eating fast food on a diet.
#1. Hold the fries
Common sense really as supersize fries will have around 500-600 calories and 20-25g of fat.
If you’re going to eat them, have a small portion.
#2. Choose a salad
But hold the dressing unless it’s a fat-free one. It will help to fill you and contains relatively few calories.
#3. Hold the mayo!
At a whopping 110 calories and 12g of fat per tbsp, you don’t need a lot to pack on the fat calories.
Choose a low fat mayo, or better still ketchup with no fat and a mere 15 calories or mustard at 40 calories and 0.5g fat for the same serving size.
#4. Don’t order dessert
A McD’s apple pie has 230 calories and 13g of fat. Choose an apple instead.
#5. Drink water
Water is the healthiest option, although diet sodas are the next best thing. Avoid sugar-ladened fizy drinks and calorie and fat-packed milkshakes!
Ok, there are a few tips on eating fast food on a diet to get you started…let’s take a look at a few of the most popular chains.
Fast Food on a Diet – Some Good Choices…
Ok, so you’re pushed for time and need to order something from a fast food joint – what should you choose?
#1. McDonald’s
A bad choice…
That’s a whopping 1496 cals and 61g of fat!
A better choice…
That’s a much better 502 cals and 20g of fat
You save…994 cals and 41g of fat!
Better still…
A Grilled Chicken Caesar’s Salad without the dressing only has 220 calories and 9g of fat!
#2. Pizza Hut
A bad choice…
That’s a massive 1,978 cals and 81g of fat!
A better choice…
That’s a much better 600 calories and 20g of fat
You save…1,378 cals and 61g of fat!
…But do you really need the garlic bread? Skip it and save another 150 cals!
#3. Subway
A bad choice…
That’s a staggering 1,530 cals and 61g of fat!
A better choice…
That’s a much lower 330 cals and 4g of fat
You save…1,200 cals and 57g of fat!
I don’t know about you, but I find the savings you can make through a few sensible choices when eating fast food on a diet are quite amazing!
Fast Food on a Diet – The Bottom Line…
There’s a place for fast food on a diet, so choose wisely and your waistline won’t have to suffer.
Avoid fried foods, eat a salad and some fruit and drink water and you’ll be fine.
We wouldn’t recommend eating fast food at every meal. If you’re following a low carb plan or want to avoid feeling sleepy in the afternoon, you may want to ditch the bread or choose wholegrain bread instead.
However, a trip to McD’s or Subway once or twice a week needn’t hurt…as long as your discipline and will-power hold out.